World Wrestling Entertainment star Randy Orton addresses the media at a news conference in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Friday, two days before he faces Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. (George Tahinos/SLAM! Wrestling)

BROOKLYN, N,Y, — A reflective and ready Randy Orton addressed media in New York on Friday, declaring himself fit and humbled as he prepares to face the formidable Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam on Sunday.

Orton surprised members of the international media by appearing unannounced to answer questions just weeks after returning from a nearly year-long absence due to a serious shoulder injury.

Orton, the son of hall of famer Cowboy Bob Orton and one of the most decorated performers in World Wrestling Entertainment history, said he feels great to be back.

“I feel very young and healthy and ready to whip some ass Sunday,” he said, in his signature defiant tone. “How do I feel to be back? I feel great. I feel great to be here answering these questions on what I feel is the biggest show of the year because I wasn’t part of WrestleMania. For me, this is the biggest show of the year on Sunday. To have it here in Brooklyn, it couldn’t be sweeter.”

Orton, long one of the company’s marquee talents, has battled through injuries in recent years, but admitted that this latest one gave him time to realize that he had been taking his career with WWE for granted in recent times.

“In recent years, they’ve come and gone,” Orton admitted when asked about his passion for the only business he’s ever known. “You can kind of get in a rut when you’re on the road 250 days a year. I have a family, I have a new wife. She’s 26 weeks pregnant as of today, so I have other things on my mind, but being gone for almost 10 months, nursing an injury, sitting at home on the couch, going through the recovery process, watching the product, I realized that I was taking it for granted a little bit, in the last year, year and a half.”

A conversation with the legendary Ric Flair first got Orton pondering his passion and drive for the notoriously rigorous profession.

“I was thinking then that I would slow down a little bit and I think Ric Flair took it upon himself to talk about that after we had a private conversation backstage. He talked about how I wanted the Shawn Michaels schedule. I think at that point in my career, I was just thinking about my family and being home for my wife, my new wife. We were engaged at the time.”

But the combination of soul searching during his recovery, combined with his strong family values, and roots in the business helped restore Orton’s passion and drive, he said.

“I’ve got three boys — three stepsons — and a little girl and another little girl on the way. I want them to come to these shows,” an open Orton said. “I want them to watch what their father does and to be proud of him. (I want) to be a role model. When I was a little kid, my father was kind of falling off, his career was slowing down when I was old enough to appreciate what he was doing out there. I want to do it another 10 years, God willing. I really do. I love this job and it took me being away for nine, 10 months, it took me that long to kind of realize that I was taking it for granted a little bit and that I needed to get my ass back in the ring and do what I love to do.”

Doing what he loves to do, and coming off injury, will be put to the test on Sunday, when he faces Lesnar, the mammoth former MMA fighter who is making his own return to WWE following his controversial UFC win earlier this summer over Mark Hunt. Orton is considered one of the meanest and most rugged wrestlers in the business. It’s a task, Orton said, he’s ready for.

“As far as my strategy and what I’m thinking, I can’t share that with you guys,” Orton said when asked for his plans for Lesnar. “I do know one thing. I am going to get my ass tossed around that ring quite a bit on Sunday. I’m prepared for it. I’ve said it a couple of times over the last few weeks, it’s only going to take one RKO (Orton’s finishing move) to take Brock Lesnar to Viperville. It might take two. It make take three. I know I said it might take one, but I’m going to hit him with an RKO and go from there. If he needs another one, we shall see.”

Asked if he feels his surgically repaired shoulder can withstand a match with the man known as the Beast, Orton said he isn’t the least bit concerned.

“I’m 100%,” he said. “Dr. (Anthony) Romeo, out of Chicago, Illinois, did the surgery. It’s the same kind of procedure he’s done on rugby players who have had chronic dislocations and go back to playing rugby full time. My shoulder is anchored in there really well. I had a great surgeon and I’m not worried about my shoulder one bit.”

Orton not only believes he can beat Lesnar, who has’t tasted defeat in wrestling in more than two years, he said he believes he has to.

“Everyone knows Lesnar’s not around a lot, and I don’t think that’s fair to the WWE Universe,” Orton said. “He comes and goes as he pleases, he tends to kind of run things when he’s there and I don’t like that. I’m there every week. I will be from here on out. What would a win mean for me? For Randy Orton? I think it would be what I need to really cement myself as the guy right now. With all of these new guys coming up, to lead as an example for everyone else, a win over Brock Lesnar is the one thing I need, I believe, to be where I need to be, to be who I am. When I’m the best, it’s in the ring and when I’m wrestling top guys and Brock Lesnar is definitely a top guy. We’re going to tear down the main event at SummerSlam.”

Jan Murphy is the news editor at the Kingston Whig-Standard and has written about wrestling for 15 years. He launched Chinlock.com to archive his wrestling stories. You can follow Jan on Twitter at @Jan_Murphy.